Chapter 28: The Secret of Traversing the River of Time

How the outside world reacted—their shock and amazement—was no longer of any concern to Luo Yan. In any case, this incident had served to vent the Luo family’s long-standing grievances. After this battle, the Shaoguang Holy Land would not be able to recover for decades. Furthermore, the Quasi-Emperor formation beneath the Shaoguang Holy Land had been cleaved apart by Luo Yan’s sword, making it incredibly difficult to repair.

Daluo City. In a secluded courtyard in the back of the Luo family estate. This place had become a forbidden zone for the Luo family; ordinary clansmen were not permitted to enter unless summoned by the master of the courtyard. Everyone in the Luo family knew who resided there: their ancestor, a Quasi-Emperor.

The furnishings and environment of the courtyard leaned toward a modern style. Although the original aesthetic had been fine, Luo Yan was not accustomed to it, so he had remodeled it to his current liking.

"Ancestor, I have found what you requested!" The head of the Luo family stood outside the courtyard like an obedient child, respectful and afraid to step inside.

"Come in."

Luo Feng entered, holding a box. "Ancestor, these are the star coordinates you asked for."

Luo Yan was somewhat incredulous. Should this item not be of extreme importance? How could it have been found so easily?

"Can you guarantee the authenticity of this?" he asked. He had never been to Earth in this world; it was shrouded in mysterious formations, and finding it was no easy feat. He had to be certain.

Luo Feng replied, "A prominent figure in the Ji family heard that you were searching for star coordinates and entrusted me to deliver this to you. This star map was charted by the Void Great Emperor during his travels across the heavens. The coordinates you require should be found within it."

Luo Feng opened the box to reveal a star map. Luo Yan stepped forward, took it, and submerged his consciousness into it. He soon saw the shadows of various stars. He visualized the shape of Earth within the map, and soon, a coordinate appeared, pointing in a specific direction.

"This must be quite important to the Ji family, right? Are they really willing to part with it?" Luo Yan quickly grasped how to use the star map and understood that it was an incredibly precious treasure.

"The Ji family hopes to borrow your Mirror of Time for a look," Luo Feng said, relaying their request.

Luo Yan was surprised. Did the Ji family not possess the Void Mirror? Why borrow his? "What do they want to do with it?"

"The Ji family has always wanted to replicate a 'Little Void Mirror.' Unfortunately, the level of the Void Mirror is too high, and the ones they have managed to replicate can only be used once. A few thousand years ago, they tried to borrow the Yin-Yang Mirror, the supreme treasure of the Yin-Yang Sect in Zhongzhou, but the sect refused. After seeing your Mirror of Time some time ago, they set their sights on it," Luo Feng explained truthfully. Such dealings were common among holy lands and great families; otherwise, the market would not be flooded with imitations of Emperor-grade weapons, both successful and failed.

"I can lend them the Mirror of Time, but I must also borrow their Void Mirror to study. If they agree, I will take the time to visit the Ji family."

"I will go and ask immediately." Luo Feng took the box and withdrew. Although the ancestor might not value it, the Luo family certainly did; it was excellent material for refining weapons.

Time passed like flowing water, and in the blink of an eye, three years had gone by. The ancestor’s strike against the holy land was already three years old. As time passed, the fervor had cooled, and attention had shifted elsewhere. However, whenever people spoke of the heroes of the world, Luo Yan’s name was inevitably brought up.

A single man challenging an entire holy land—Luo Yan could be called the greatest figure in ten thousand years. A living Saint! During the battle at the Shaoguang Holy Land, few knew his true strength. Those who did were deep-seated, ancient monsters. A living Quasi-Emperor was a taboo existence; who would dare speak of him lightly? Since no one refuted it, the outside world naturally assumed the Luo ancestor was a Saint.

Luo Yan had not been idle during these three years. He had first visited the Ji family to study the Void Mirror, grasping the gap between a true Emperor-grade weapon and a semi-complete one. Later, he tidied up the flaws within the Luo family. Under his new policies, the family shed its former decadence and began to flourish.

The Hunyuan Divine Body had not yet entered the world and remained in the Luo family, focusing on cultivation. When Luo Yan had time, he would provide guidance to the Luo family's prodigies, though most of the time, his donkey acted as his proxy. Of course, the guidance was not free; the donkey had become a figure of reverence among the Luo family cultivators, served with the finest food and drink every day for fear that it might stop guiding the younger generation.

At the same time, Luo Yan had realized a profound truth: Emperor-grade weapons could only be forged by the Great Emperors of old! The legendary Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Tripod of the Shaoguang Holy Land could never have become an Emperor-grade weapon simply through the worship of generations of sages. There was only one possibility: the tripod came from the hands of the Ruthless Empress. The Shaoguang Holy Land was built upon the tomb of the Ruthless Empress, and the holy land itself possessed her lineage!

This served as a reminder to Luo Yan. The origin of the Mirror of Time was unusual.

According to Luo family rumors, the Mirror of Time was his life-bound artifact, forged with his own hands. But Luo Yan felt it was not that simple. Transcending the river of time with the cultivation of a Quasi-Emperor was illogical. For an ordinary person to comprehend the laws of time—a power so taboo—was impossible; even the legendary Time Beasts could only traverse the river of time upon reaching the Immortal King realm.

The root of all this could only be explained by the Mirror of Time itself. Perhaps the mirror was not forged by his predecessor at all, but was a divine object obtained by chance, and it was only by relying on the mirror that his predecessor could comprehend the Great Dao of Time.

Upon discovering this secret, Luo Yan immediately used the mirror to view his predecessor's life. It was just as he had guessed: the mirror was not his own weapon, but an Immortal Artifact he had stumbled upon—one that surpassed Emperor-grade weapons! Relying on this artifact, he had advanced rapidly and become invincible, but because the mirror was incomplete, his glory was like a fleeting meteor. He had tried to repair it, but failed. It was only in his later years, when the mirror backfired and his lifespan dwindled, that he thought of using the mirror to harvest the essence of time from the river of time to repair it.

Alas, it was too late, and he eventually passed away in the mountains. It was only after Luo Yan transmigrated that he "naturally" conceived the method of using the essence of time to repair the mirror.

At last, everything was clear; the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

Over these three years, thanks to the ancestor, the Luo family had risen to prominence in the Southern Domain, transforming from a top-tier clan into an entity that even holy-level powers dared not provoke. A family with a Saint in residence—unless one was a fool—was not to be trifled with. In other words, as long as the ancestor lived, the Luo family would not fall.

On this day, Luo Yan opened his eyes. Leading his donkey, he stepped into the starry sky without leaving a word.

"The ancestor has left! Remember what I told you! The ancestor is currently in seclusion and is seeing no one!" Sensing the movement in the courtyard, Luo Feng looked at the others with a grave expression. Beneath the portrait in the center of the ancestral hall was enshrined a precious sword—the very Saint-grade weapon that had cleaved the Shaoguang Holy Land three years ago, containing three strands of sword intent.

"Yes, Patriarch!"

The high-ranking members of the Luo family were all aware of the ancestor's departure for the stars, and the outside world had its suspicions as well. Luo Yan had only given one order upon returning to the family: to find the star coordinates within the Five-Colored Altar. It could not be kept secret.